Double-sided coaxial circuit QED with out-of-plane wiring

Superconducting circuits are well established as a strong candidate platform for the development of quantum computing. In order to advance to a practically useful level, architectures are needed which combine arrays of many qubits with selective qubit control and readout, without compromising on coherence. Here we present a coaxial circuit QED architecture in which qubit and resonator are fabricated on opposing sides of a single chip, and control and readout wiring are provided by coaxial wiring running perpendicular to the chip plane. We present characterisation measurements of a fabricated device in good agreement with simulated parameters and demonstrating energy relaxation and dephasing times of $T_1 = 4.1\,\mu$s and $T_2 = 5.7\,\mu$s respectively. The architecture allows for scaling to large arrays of selectively controlled and measured qubits with the advantage of all wiring being out of the plane.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Circuit quantum acoustodynamics with surface acoustic waves

The experimental investigation of quantum devices incorporating mechanical resonators has opened up new frontiers in the study of quantum mechanics at a macroscopic level$^{1,2}$. Superconducting microwave circuits have proven to be a powerful platform for the realisation of such quantum devices, both in cavity optomechanics$^{3,4}$, and circuit quantum electro-dynamics (QED)$^{5,6}$. While most experiments to date have involved localised nanomechanical resonators, it has recently been shown that propagating surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can be piezoelectrically coupled to superconducting qubits$^{7,8}$, and confined in high-quality Fabry-Perot cavities up to microwave frequencies in the quantum regime$^{9}$, indicating the possibility of realising coherent exchange of quantum information between the two systems. Here we present measurements of a device in which a superconducting qubit is embedded in, and interacts with, the acoustic field of a Fabry-Perot SAW cavity on quartz, realising a surface acoustic version of cavity quantum electrodynamics. This quantum acoustodynamics (QAD) architecture may be used to develop new quantum acoustic devices in which quantum information is stored in trapped on-chip surface acoustic wavepackets, and manipulated in ways that are impossible with purely electromagnetic signals, due to the $10^{5}$ times slower speed of travel of the mechanical waves.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

HALOGAS observations of NGC 5023 and UGC 2082: Modeling of non-cylindrically symmetric gas distributions in edge-on galaxies

In recent years it has become clear that the vertical structure of disk galaxies is a key ingredient for understanding galaxy evolution. In particular, the presence and structure of extra-planar gas has been a focus of research. The Hydrogen Accretion in LOcal GAlaxieS (HALOGAS) survey aims to provide a census on the rate of cold neutral gas accretion in nearby galaxies as well as a statistically significant set of galaxies that can be investigated for their extra-planar gas properties. In order to better understand the the vertical structure of the neutral hydrogen in the two edge-on HALOGAS galaxies NGC 5023 and UGC 2082 we construct detailed tilted ring models. The addition of distortions resembling arcs or spiral arms significantly improves the fit of the models to these galaxies. In the case of UGC 2082 no vertical gradient in rotational velocity is required in either symmetric models nor non-symmetric models to match the observations. The best fitting model features two arcs of large vertical extent that may be due to accretion. In the case of NGC 5023 a vertical gradient is required in symmetric models (dV/dz =$-14.9\pm3.8$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$) and its magnitude is significantly lowered when non-symmetric models are considered (dV/dz =$-9.4\pm3.8$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$). Additionally it is shown that the underlying disk of NGC 5023 can be made symmetric, in all parameters except the warp, in non-symmetric models. In comparison to the "classical" modeling these models fit the data significantly better with a limited addition of free parameters.Comment: 27 Pages, 22 Figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Very High Energy Gamma Rays from PSR1706-44

We have obtained evidence of gamma-ray emission above 1 TeV from PSR1706-44, using a ground-based telescope of the atmospheric \v{C}erenkov imaging type located near Woomera, South Australia. This object, a $\gamma$-ray source discovered by the COS B satellite (2CG342-02), was identified with the radio pulsar through the discovery of a 102 ms pulsed signal with the EGRET instrument of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The flux of the present observation above a threshold of 1 TeV is $\bf \sim$ 1 $\cdot$ 10$^{-11}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, which is two orders of magnitude smaller than the extrapolation from GeV energies. The analysis is not restricted to a search for emission modulated with the 102 ms period, and the reported flux is for all $\gamma$-rays from PSR1706-44, pulsed and unpulsed. The energy output in the TeV region corresponds to about 10$^{-3}$ of the spin down energy loss rate of the neutron star.Comment: 13 pages, latex format (article), 2 figures include

Detection of Gamma Rays of Up to 50 TeV From the Crab Nebula

Gamma rays with energies greater than 7 TeV from the Crab pulsar/nebula have been observed at large zenith angles, using the Imaging Atmospheric Technique from Woomera, South Australia. CANGAROO data taken in 1992, 1993 and 1995 indicate that the energy spectrum extends up to at least 50 TeV, without a change of the index of the power law spectrum. The observed differential spectrum is \noindent $(2.01\pm 0.36)\times 10^{-13}(E/{7 TeV})^{-2.53 \pm 0.18} TeV^{-1}cm^{-2}s^{-1}$ between 7 TeV and 50 TeV. There is no apparent cut-off. The spectrum for photon energies above $\sim$10 TeV allows the maximum particle acceleration energy to be inferred, and implies that this unpulsed emission does not originate near the light cylinder of the pulsar, but in the nebula where the magnetic field is not strong enough to allow pair creation from the TeV photons. The hard gamma-ray energy spectrum above 10 TeV also provides information about the varying role of seed photons for the inverse Compton process at these high energies, as well as a possible contribution of $\pi ^{\circ}$-gamma rays from proton collisions.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX2.09 with AASTeX 4.0 maros, to appear in Astrophys. J. Let

The X-ray eclipse of the dwarf nova HT CAS observed by the XMM-Newton satellite: spectral and timing analysis

A cataclysmic variable is a binary system consisting of a white dwarf that accretes material from a secondary object via the Roche-lobe mechanism. In the case of long enough observation, a detailed temporal analysis can be performed, allowing the physical properties of the binary system to be determined. We present an XMM-Newton observation of the dwarf nova HT Cas acquired to resolve the binary system eclipses and constrain the origin of the X-rays observed. We also compare our results with previous ROSAT and ASCA data. After the spectral analysis of the three EPIC camera signals, the observed X-ray light curve was studied with well known techniques and the eclipse contact points obtained. The X-ray spectrum can be described by thermal bremsstrahlung of temperature $kT_1=6.89 \pm 0.23$ keV plus a black-body component (upper limit) with temperature $kT_2=30_{-6}^{+8}$ eV. Neglecting the black-body, the bolometric absorption corrected flux is $F^{\rm{Bol}}=(6.5\pm 0.1)\times10^{-12}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, which, for a distance of HT Cas of 131 pc, corresponds to a bolometric luminosity of $(1.33\pm 0.02)\times10^{31}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The study of the eclipse in the EPIC light curve permits us to constrain the size and location of the X-ray emitting region, which turns out to be close to the white dwarf radius. We measure an X-ray eclipse somewhat smaller (but only at a level of $\simeq 1.5 \sigma$) than the corresponding optical one. If this is the case, we have possibly identified the signature of either high latitude emission or a layer of X-ray emitting material partially obscured by an accretion disk.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysics, 200

Analysis of the infinity-replica symmetry breaking solution of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model

In this work we analyse the Parisi's infinity-replica symmetry breaking solution of the Sherrington - Kirkpatrick model without external field using high order perturbative expansions. The predictions are compared with those obtained from the numerical solution of the infinity-replica symmetry breaking equations which are solved using a new pseudo-spectral code which allows for very accurate results. With this methods we are able to get more insight into the analytical properties of the solutions. We are also able to determine numerically the end-point x_{max} of the plateau of q(x) and find that lim_{T --> 0} x_{max}(T) > 0.5.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, RevTeX 4.